Degree creation

1. The Arizona statute is as follows:
   • ARS § 32-3022. License to grant degrees
     E. This section does not apply to religious degrees which are used solely for religious purposes within a religious organization which has tax exempt status from the internal revenue service. [https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/03022.htm]
2. The phrase a religious organization is interpreted to refer to the organization offering the degree.
3. All degrees shall have a religious descriptor either in the main degree title e.g. Bachelor of Theology or in the postnominal or area of concentration e.g. Bachelor of Arts (Theology).
4. If the religious descriptor is in the postnominal or area of concentration, it shall be included whenever the full degree title is written in formal documents and advertising.
5. Purpose
   1. Each degree shall have a solely religious purpose, which will be stated in the catalog.
   2. Program documentation (but not necessarily the degree title) shall state an application in Christian non-profit organizations, such as churches, missions, Christian schools, Christian universities, Christian community ministries, and chaplaincy.
6. Disambiguation
   1. This disambiguation policy applies to degrees where their religious nature might appear ambiguous. This most often occurs when a field of religious study or ministry has a non-religious counterpart.* It does not apply to unambiguously religious degrees (e.g. Master of Divinity).
   2. At least 51% of the total required credit for degree graduation shall support the stated degree purpose.
   3. Degree programs may include non-religious units (e.g. educational support/study skills, general education component, a minor).
   4. Degrees shall not meet all requirements for Arizona state licensing or certification.
   5. Students are free to choose topics of their theses and dissertations, as long as topics relate to the requirements of their degree.

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*Examples of counterparts of fields of theology and Christian ministry:
• Biblical history: Ancient history, archeology
• Biblical languages: Ancient languages: Greek, Hebrew and Semitic languages
• Hermeneutics and exegesis: Linguistics, lexicography
• Biblical geography: Middle eastern geography
• Church history: General history
• Systematic theology: Areas of philosophy, ethics
• Christian schooling and education, religious education: General studies of education
• Leadership: General studies of leadership and management
• Homiletics: Communication, public speaking
• Pastoral counseling: General counseling
• Church music: General music
• Missiology: Cultural anthropology, anthropology of religion, demography, sociology, communication, intercultural studies, comparative religion
• Community ministries: Social work, community work, community development, sociology.

 

Comment

The statute mentions "solely for religious purposes" and we also say, "have a solely religious purpose." However, some degrees can have a secondary application apart from the stated purpose.

1. A degree that meets certification requirements would be deemed to have the primary purpose of certification.
2. In Arizona K-12 teachers and administrators must be licensed. As long as students are not trained to meet Arizona licensing requirements, those qualifications can only be used in church schools.
3. In Arizona higher education personnel are not licensed, so it is easier harder to meet the "solely for religious purposes" criterion.
4. Every religious qualification that has a non-religious counterpart cannot meet the "solely for religious purposes" criterion, because graduates might be quite qualified to teach or practice in the non-religious counterpart field. In these cases, the degree purpose is an effective differentiator.